Good on Matt Garstka.
I first discovered Matt in the Berklee chops video series from a channel whose name I shan't mention;)
It's the lesson everybody talks about. The one where he believes in "concepts" instead of "chops".
Matt earned his bonafides at Berklee, of course, alongside the likes of Darion Ja'von, Sean Wright, and JP Bouvet. (The "murderer's row"? The "usual suspects"?;
Fast forward a few years and he was the kitman (if that isn't a thing I just made it one) for Animals as Leaders, inspiring half-a-decade of metalhead drum covers.
And now he's on the cover of Modern Drummer. So good-on-you, Matt.
I've been told there's no Matt without Vinnie. Which is true. Of course there's no anybody without Vinnie, and there's also no Matt without Aaron Spears and Chris Coleman. But let's give Matt his due. He's proven himself his own player sevenfold (that sounds metal, right?;), equally comfortable behind a metal band or in a gospel/fusion context.
And he doesn't play traditional grip. Which means he's a practical sort. (I'm mentally adding up all the controversy I'm stirring up in this post and smiling to myself.)
Anyway, I wanted to give you something characteristically Matt, but also easy-to-learn, so I chose this "bite-sized" lick from he Meinl festival last year.
I also talk about playing in six.